Josh Hazlewood shares fitness update ahead of Gabba Test. (Source – Getty Images)
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood missed the second Test against India owing to a side strain. Scott Boland replaced him in the playing XI and clinched five wickets in Australia’s 10-wicket win over the visitors. However, in case Hazlewood is deemed fit, he will walk straight back into the playing XI but it’s still uncertain if the cricketer will be available for the third Test at Gabba, slated to begin on December 14.
Sharing an update on his fitness, Hazlewood mentioned that the next 24 hours will be crucial and that will decide his chances of featuring in the XI. He noted that a few boxes are still left to be ticked and added that the intensity needs to be right for him to get back into the squad.
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“I think it’ll be how I pull up in the 24 hours following it really. It’s just that repetitive (action) and obviously two spells makes a big difference. Cooling down pretty much fully and then going again in the same day, and the intensity has got to be right up there as well. So a few boxes to tick, but it’s probably the 24 hours that follow and pulling up again the next day and then thinking ‘yeah, I’d be right to go again if I had to’,” Hazlewood was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
Not necessarily your typical side strain: Hazlewood
Hazlewood highlighted that it was not a regular side strain that bothered him over the years. He added that if the Adelaide game had been the last Test of the summer, he would have run the gauntlet but didn’t want to risk it with more games remaining, which could potentially decide their fate in the World Test Championship finale.
“It’s not necessarily your typical side strain, which I’ve had a couple in my career. It’s caused me a lot of trouble over the last few years, but perfect prep this year (heading into the first Test). I played the (Sheffield) Shield game and ticked all that off and I was very happy where I was and it still happened, so I was pretty annoyed for a few days. If this (Adelaide) was the last Test of the summer, I could have potentially run the gauntlet and played,” Hazlewood said.
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